Boo's boys win opener, look to improve and compensate for lack of size

As debuts go, it was predictably uneven. Boo Williams' AAU elite boys basketball team could have played better and more crisply, but at least won its opener Friday evening in the annual Nike Invitational.

"It was an OK opener. I think it helped our confidence more than anything," forward Troy Williams said after Boo's team defeated the Metro Hawks from New York 83-66 at the BooPlex.

Troy Williams, Boo's nephew and a sophomore at Phoebus, is part of a heavy guard/forward roster, with nine players who stand between 6-foot-2 and 6-6.

"We're athletic, we've got to run up and down, we're just small," Boo said. "We almost look like my sister's Georgetown team."

Boo's team has only two true post players: 6-8 Onyekaba Ifeanyi, who plays at the Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg; and 6-10 Daniel Robinson, from Atlantic Shores.

Other than those two, it's guards and wing players.

"We're going to be athletic," Boo said. "We're going to run up and down, get in transition. We're going to have to live with some turnovers. We've got to gang rebound. We're a small team, so we've got to shoot the ball adequate."

Boo's team started well, jumping out to a 33-13 lead on the way to a 43-26 halftime spread. The lead fluctuated between 12 and 20 points in the second half

"We played good," Barber said, "but we've got to finish games. We didn't do a good job of finishing. We got too happy and started letting them go past, but overall we did alright."

Barber and Christchurch School import Teddy Okereafor mostly split time at point guard. Boo's team rotated shooters and wings, such as the 6-4 Ferguson, the 6-6 Anderson, a spectacular athlete who recently committed to Maryland, 6-5 Josh Fortune (Kecoughtan) and 6-4 Aaron Bacote (Bethel).

"I believe we can be a real good team, as long as everybody listens to what the coaches say," said Ferguson, a Marquette commitment with a nice stroke and all-around perimeter game.

"We've got to move the ball around more," Troy Williams said. "On our high school teams, guys could just take over. You can't do that as much, but any night somebody different can take over. Other than that, it's just playing together."

Boo's team practiced only six times before this weekend's tournament, the first of Nike's three Elite Youth Basketball League schedule stops. A few of Boo's players haven't been able to make all of the practices thus far.

"They've been a very easy group to coach," assistant coach Maxie Anderson said. "In practice, they've shared the ball well. They've listened to the coaches. They've embraced their changes in roles. They've done a good job of checking their egos at the door.

"There's been some drastic changes in roles, compared to what they did in their high school seasons," Anderson said. "Some kids have to take less shots and share the ball more. Some kids are being asked to rebound more than they did for their high school team. They've done a good job of embracing the change."

Boo's team figures to be challenged Saturday. It faces an Ohio team at 9:30 a.m. with four players 6-7 or taller. Its 5 o'clock opponent, the Charlotte Royals, has four players at least 6-8, as well as standout guard Braxton Ogbueze.

"By the end of this tournament, once we all know how each other plays," Ferguson said, "I believe by then we'll be real good."